On January 6, 2026, the main line of the Etya to Robbie (IR) highway upgrade and renovation project in Ethiopia, undertaken by China Railway Third Bureau, was officially opened to traffic. This 75.6km long road connects the Asara agricultural production area in Oromia and the key agricultural product processing town in Adama, which not only ends the history of "difficult travel" in the rainy season along the line, but also builds an economic artery through production and marketing, becoming a model of people's livelihood for China and Egypt to jointly build the "the Belt and Road".

Forging Plateau Quality Engineering

The subtropical plateau climate zone where the IR highway is located has a high annual rainfall and a long rainy season. The infiltration of rainwater can easily cause the roadbed to thaw and sink, which is the core technical barrier for project construction. Unlike conventional highway renovations, this project requires a comprehensive upgrade of the roadbed, bridges and culverts, and drainage system without interrupting basic traffic along the route.

The project department of China Railway Third Bureau has anchored the core goal of "water control and stable foundation", abandoned the traditional repair construction approach, and reconstructed the drainage system of the roadbed along the line: designed multi-level temporary intercepting ditches to intercept slope runoff, set up collection wells to form a rainwater collection network, and combined with mobile strong drainage equipment to achieve rapid export of rainwater and sewage, blocking the erosion of the roadbed by rainwater from the source. In the process of roadbed filling, the project department strictly follows the construction process of "layered filling, continuous rolling, and real-time detection", using heavy-duty rollers to compact layer by layer. The thickness of each layer of filling is controlled within 25 centimeters, and the compaction compliance rate is maintained at 100%. Ultimately, the dual improvement of overall roadbed stability and pavement durability is achieved, laying a solid technical foundation for long-term safe passage of highways.

Cultivate a construction team that cannot be taken away

Along with the progress of the project, China Railway Third Bureau will embed talent cultivation throughout the entire project cycle, promoting the deep integration of Chinese standards with local demands through a "technology output+capability empowerment" model.

In response to the pain points of weak technical foundation and language communication barriers among local employees, the project department has innovatively launched a training system of "trilingual technical disclosure+teacher led practical operation": conducting technical disclosure meetings twice a week for synchronous teaching of Chinese, Amharic, and Oromo languages to ensure accurate transmission of construction standards; Establish 156 pairs of "Sino Egyptian mentor apprentice pairs", where Chinese technicians will teach core skills such as roadbed compaction and bridge and culvert pouring step by step, transforming classroom theory into on-site practical abilities. As of the opening of the project, a total of 230 local technical backbones have been cultivated, including 12 promoted to foreman and 8 appointed as on-site engineers. These local employees who have mastered professional skills have become a new force in the infrastructure field of Ethiopia, injecting lasting power into local transportation construction.

As a practical result of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" between China and Egypt, the opening of the IR Highway is not only a vivid demonstration of China's technological strength in infrastructure construction, but also a profound practice of the concept of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between China and Africa. This winding and smooth road on the plateau is carrying the local people's dream of becoming rich, injecting strong momentum into Ethiopia's economic and social development.Editor/Bian Wenjun